BUFF low pass

gkainz

gkainz

Final Approach
Joined
Feb 23, 2005
Messages
8,401
Location
Arvada, CO
Display Name
Display name:
Greg Kainz
from an internet email ...
-------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: FW: B52 by the USS Ranger
Date: Thu, 1 Jun 2006 23:19:45 +0000

Bill,
Thought you might appredciate this. Might change my attitude about BUFF
drivers a little bit. This picture is real because I witnessed this flyby personally.
This picture was taken in the spring of 1990 as we started are deployment to
the Persian Gulf.
I was up in the "tower" with the air boss as the Viking squadron rep for the
launch/recovery and these Buff drivers (2 of them) called that they were at 8 miles for a flyby.

They had been 'orange air' for a big war - at - sea exercise we were doing
When they called 5 miles the boss said "we don't see you" and we heard
back "look low". Out on the w ater we saw this smoke trail first, (the
planes merged with the color of the water) at about a 1-2 miles we could
break them out and the two buffs came by at 20-30 feet off the water
splitting the ship at about 350kts. Then they pulled up and did a big plan
form 180 and said "do you want to see that again" - The air boss said "hell
yea" so they went back out an did it again.

It was the only time in my 20 year career that I have seen any services jets
purposely flying below flight deck level.

One of my reserve buddies showed me this picture this weekend and I got all excited about it. It was always one of those moments at sea that I had talked about.

All the best,
Chris

CAPT (sel) Chris Buhlmann USN
NAVAIRSYSCOM 0766
Operations Officer
---------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Attachments

  • BUFF.jpg
    BUFF.jpg
    86.5 KB · Views: 73
Holy S$#T!

A few of my uncles are Vietnam vets. My oldest uncle, Richie, served in some unit that he really doesn't talk about, aside from "spent lots of time where we didn't belong".

One night, when I was 16, he and I were talking about life and growing up while watching TV (I worked on his lobster boat, we spent almost all of our time together), we saw a show on the BUFF. He kinda broke down, which is freakishly uncharacteristic for Richie.

I asked him what is wrong, (hard for a 16 year old), and he told me about an incident while he was deployed overseas. He was in the Army, and they had called in for some sort of air support on something in the valley below. He didn't really get into it.

However, they sent in TWO B52's to clear whatever they were looking at. He was sitting on the ridge as he saw these two big birds come down and lay a "belly full of fire" all along the valley floor. He said it was the scariest, and most powerful thing he had seen in his young life (he was 21 at the time), and to this day he is haunted by the image. He said that there was no symbol, to him, of how we could win that war and if we would do what it took to do it (he never thought it would).

Kinda a non sequitor, but seeing a B52 reminds me of my uncle's story every time. What an amazing bird.

Cheers,

-Andrew
 
J*sus! That's cool! Thanks Greg.

Neat story Andrew.
 
WOW - even Navy guys have to be impressed by that!!!!!!
 
smigaldi said:
They often are once the see what real pilots, like those in the USAF, are capable of. :yes::D
Click to expand...

You sure he didn't just miss the approach to the carrier? ;)

Cool picture.
 
What, do they do that so they don't have to look at the altimeter so much?
 
Assuming the B-52 is in equalibrium, I think it interesting it looks like it has a negative deck angle.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top